We work closely with the Police executive staff to provide funding where it is most critical.

Sampling of Projects

K-9 Unit

When the Glendale Police Department decided that a K-9 Unit would be critical to community safety, the Foundation raised the money to start a four-dog K-9 Team. Since inception (2005), the Foundation has continued to pay for:

The purchase of replacement dogs,

Training for the K-9s and their handlers,

Medical expenses and food,

Specialized equipment,

Ancillary costs involved in running a high performance K-9 Unit.

Result? Fewer drugs on the street and a safer Glendale.

Mini Grants

GPD employees often find new ways to work more efficiently and safely. We’ve provided $40,000 in mini-grants for needed equipment or innovations in policing, such as:

Vehicle mounted video cameras for motorcycle officers

Portable electronic card readers,

Forensic lab equipment such as zoom microscopes and ballistics tools.

Community Academy

The GPF offers an intensive 12-week Community Academy gives to help give the community a look at the inner workings of the department so they can better understand the perils of policing as well as the nuts and bolts of keeping Glendale safe. This course covers everything from DNA scanning to homicide and burglary investigations. The result is a much tighter police/community relationship and a more knowledgeable crime fighting citizens.

Officer Safety

The Police Department runs very lean on staff--we can't afford to have officers injured on the job. As a result, we purchased :

High visibility safety vests for officers working in less than ideal weather conditions and in the dark. We also purchased

The GPF understands well that many of our officers grow up here and join the department. So, we help fund the Explorer program that gives high school youth an opportunity to learn about police work first hand. They attend a 16-week academy and work as volunteers doing supervised police work.

We also strengthened:

Police Athletic League and

STAR programs to help at-risk kids develop essential life skills.

Honoring the Best

Each year, the Foundation puts on an Awards and Appreciation luncheon to honor the outstanding achievements of our Glendale Police officers and members of the community who have worked with police to solve crime. We also celebrate the holidays by serving the department a festive barbecue luncheon.

Other Projects

We also support other department-sponsored projects:

Baker to Vegas bicycle Fitness Challenge (pits police departments from all over the world in a grueling relay race).

National Police Unity Tour bike ride to the Washington D.C.to honor officers who died in the line of duty.

The Glendale Police Foundation is funded entirely from donations from the community. We are a non-profit organization, so all donations are tax deductible.